These Words
by spoodle monkey
Summary: In which Hunter is oblivious, Cam isn't very clear and Tori ends up playing matchmaker. Cam/Hunter, Blake/Tori


Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.

A/N- it feels like it's been too long since I wrote something for these two! And I felt like I needed a bit of a pick me up.

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><p>"Hey." Hunter glanced up from where he was studiously slacking off from the lesson plan he was supposed to be working on. He dropped his wrench back into the toolbox and wiped his hands on a rag, offering a sheepish smile.<p>

Cam smirked but didn't say anything about it as he stepped further into the makeshift garage.

"Hey," Hunter greeted, putting his current project on pause for the moment. "What're you doing out here?"

"I," Cam hesitated, reaching out to toy with Hunters forgotten attempts at his lesson plan, gaze bouncing around the room, never quite stopping on one thing for too long. "Just wanted to stop by."

"You just wanted to stop by?" He repeated, grinning at Cams attempt at a lie. It felt like every time he saw the other man he was worse at lying, or maybe it was merely Hunter being able to read him easier.

"I can't just drop by?"

"You can." Hunter agreed easily, pulling himself up to sit on the counter and watching his friend. He settled in, ready to wait Cam out until the other man could get whatever it was that was on his mind, out.

He didn't have to wait long. Cam sighed and brushed a hand through his hair, leaning back against the wall next to the door and while he appeared at ease, something told him that if he could have been, Cam would have been stuffing his hands in his pockets and shifting awkwardly as he searched for what to say.

"About Tori's party,"

"You can't cancel." Hunter cut him off. Cam rolled his eyes.

"I'm not. Just," His gaze darted away from Hunter again, coming to rest on the cabinet over the blondes shoulder. "How are you getting there?"

"I was just going to drive." Tori's new house wasn't too far away and if he did plan on drinking, she'd promised him the couch for the night. He'd been trying to figure out a way to get Cam to stay the night too.

"We could go together?" Cam offered tentatively, still resolutely not looking at Hunter. "To the party?" And Hunter had to be seeing things because Cam _never_ blushed. Not even when Hunter would say something just for that desired effect. Because a blushing Cam was _very_ hard to look away from.

"Sure," Hunter continued to watch the way the blush was spreading up his neck with fascination. "I'll pick you up after I pick up Rachel."

"Who?" At least Cam wasn't avoiding meeting his gaze anymore but the blank look that had made its way across his face, replacing the blush made Hunter wonder what he'd said.

"Rachel, I'm taking her to the party." She was nice but it was more of a favour to his brother. Blake had seen him moping, introduced him to Rachel and now he had a date. If one could even call it that. Rachel seemed to get that he…liked someone else.

"Ah, ok." Cam pushed off from the wall and this time his hands did end up stuffed deep into the pockets of his jeans. "Some other time then."

"Wait," Hunter slid off the counter. He couldn't help but feel he'd missed something vital in their conversation. "You don't want the ride anymore?"

"I think I'll go early, help set up." Cam ducked his head and turned to leave, shoulders slumped and everything about him screaming that Hunter had done something to screw up. "But thanks."

"Cam," Hunter called out in a last ditch attempt to get him to stop leaving. "Is everything okay?"

Cam offered him a brief smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah. I'll see you later."

Hunter watched him go feeling very confused and wishing he could redo their short conversation.

::

Tori bounced through the crowd of people gathered in her living room, high on life, to the door.

She hadn't really wanted a house warming party but then her cousin had taken over and the next thing she knew there were twenty people wandering around her house and music was being blasted from the speakers, another present from her cousin and the main reason she'd agreed to the party in the first place. Now though, now she was having a blast. She hadn't really been able to see the others outside of work at the academy and had seen Blake even less recently. This got them all into one room, together- like they were supposed to be.

Or at least they would be once everyone got there.

Through the glass window on her door she could make out the mop of messy blonde hair and threw the door open with a large grin. Dustin materialized at her side with a matching grin.

"Hunter!" She grabbed him in a hug, stepping to the side so Dustin could too. And she turned to the person standing next to him and stopped half way into getting a hug because that person was _not_ Cam.

"Who're you?" Came out of her mouth instead.

"Wow Tori, manners much." Dustin elbowed her lightly but he looked as confused as she felt.

"This is Rachel." Hunter supplied, resting an arm around the petit brunettes shoulders.

"Your date?"

Hunter shifted awkwardly and exchanged a quick glance with the girl.

"It's nice to meet you." She offered with a small wave. Tori just continued to stare at Hunter.

"Look, did Blake not tell you we were coming? Because it was his idea," Hunter trailed off at the twin looks of sudden understanding spreading across his friend's faces. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"Can you go find Blake for me?" Tori asked Dustin and watched as her friend darted off into the mass of people. She turned back to the confused blonde and wary brunette and wondered why it was always _her_ that got stuck doing this sort of thing.

"We were under the impression you were coming with Cam."

"I was going to give him a ride but he said he'd probably just come by early and help." Hunter frowned and peered past her into the house and Tori realized belatedly that they were still standing in the doorway. She ushered them inside, where the music was loud but they could still manage to hear one another. "He's not here yet?"

Tori shook her head. "Did he ask you?"

"Well yeah," Hunter glanced from Tori to Rachel and back. "And I said I'd need to pick up Rachel first but I could pick him up after." And Tori would have laughed if the situation had been different because the blonde in front of her was _pouting_.

"He asked you and you said you had to pick up your _date_ first?" Tori valiantly resisted the urge to reach out and knock some sense into Hunter but that wouldn't get them anywhere. Instead she turned to Rachel. "Do you get it?"

The brunette nodded, eyes wide and staring at Hunter with a mixture of sympathy and amusement.

"Get what?" Hunter demanded, frustration colouring his voice and deepening his frown.

"Hunter," Tori sighed. "Cam was asking you out. As in a _date_."

"A date?" Hunter repeated and his voice turned hopeful as his frown disappeared. "Seriously?"

"We spent two hours talking him into it."

"And," Hunters face fell and he covered his face with his hands as it finally sunk in. "And I turned him down."

"I think I need to talk to Blake about his schemes interfering with my schemes." Tori shook her head. "Rachel, feel free to stay. Hunter- Cam will get here eventually, talk to him when he does."

She turned and went off to help Dustin find her wayward boyfriend wondering how she always ended up playing matchmaker.

::

Hunter pulled out his cell phone, sent two texts but didn't get anything back so he found a couch facing the door and sat there for the next hour. Dustin and Shane came and joined him eventually; taking up the other two thirds of the couch and with them the wait wasn't quite as boring or nerve wracking.

Because Cam had asked him out, had worked up the courage to do what Hunter himself couldn't and he'd unknowingly turned him down. He felt like a jerk and an idiot and really hoped that the other man hadn't given up on him yet.

It was late but the party was still going strong when the doorbell rang. Tori's cousin darted over to open the door and Hunter held his breath, waiting to see who it would be.

Cam looked the same, black jeans, green shirt and glasses but there was something different about him. He figured it had to do with the fact that he knew now that Cam was interested in him, that he didn't have to hold back or pretend that he wasn't interested as well. He didn't have to censor his thoughts or hold back his touches. He just had to get Cam to forgive him.

"Go talk to him." Shane nudged him lightly with his shoulder.

"He's not going to forgive me." Hunter swallowed hard and waved when Cam spotted them across the room. He watched as his friend glanced over the other people on the couch and knew he was looking for Rachel.

"Dude," Dustin laughed lightly and pushed him up and off the couch. "He'll _always_ forgive you."

Hunter nodded and before he knew it he was across the room, standing before Cam and not really sure what to say.

"Sorry I'm late," Cam glanced around at the crowd, probably looking for faces he knew. "I kept putting it off."

"Better late than never, right?" Hunter joked. It must have come out sounding strange because Cam levelled him with a long look and he knew Cam could see right through him. "I didn't know you were asking me out."

Cam's eyes widened; he ducked his head, shoulders tense and for a moment Hunter was sure Cam was going to deny it.

"Don't worry about it."

"But I was an idiot." Hunter protested and reached out, hand resting lightly on Cam's shoulder. The other man didn't tense or pull away. "And if I had known you were asking me out, I would have said yes."

Wide eyes stared up at him.

"Where's your date?" Cam asked, but this time didn't make any move to look around the room, studying Hunters face instead- probably for the lie he thought was there.

"Talking to one of Tori's neighbours I think. I said I'd take her as a favour to Blake. It looks like he and Tori had the same idea, just with different people." A small smile worked its way across Cam's face and Hunter slid his hand down Cam's arm to tangle their hands together. "Look, there's nothing between Rachel and I and we both knew it from the start. Right now I'm hoping it's not too late to say yes to you?"

Cam glanced down at their hands, his smile shy but growing and Hunter felt his own matching.

"Well," Cam's grin turned wicked and he squeezed Hunter's hand. "Better late than never, right?"

A startled bark of laughter escaped him as he pulled Cam back towards the couch and their friends, Tori and Blake had joined Dustin and Shane, knowing grins on their faces. And looking at Cam he couldn't keep the brilliant smile from spreading across his face.


End file.
